Watching Seals and Otters Along the Orkney Shore

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5 Jul 2026

Watching Seals and Otters Along the Orkney Shore

Why Orkney's Shore Is So Rewarding

Orkney has roughly a thousand kilometres of coastline, and very little of it feels busy. That is the simple secret behind the islands' reputation for seals and otters. Sheltered voes, kelp-rich channels and low, seaweed-draped skerries provide food, resting places and long stretches of shore where the only movement is the tide. Add clean water, strong currents that concentrate fish, and a general absence of crowds, and you have some of the finest coastal wildlife watching in Britain.

The best news for visitors is that you do not need a boat, a guide or specialist kit. A pair of binoculars, a tide table and a willingness to sit still for an hour will put you in with a genuine chance. Many guests at island guest houses see their first otter within a day or two of arriving, often from a pier or a quiet picnic bench they had walked past without noticing.

Seals: Where and When to Look

Two species share Orkney's waters. The smaller, rounder-headed common seal (also called the harbour seal) pups in June and July, while the larger, Roman-nosed grey seal pupped in autumn, mostly October to December. Both haul out on skerries, sandbanks and rocky points, and both are curious enough to stare back at you if you stay calm.

Reliable places to scan include the shores around Scapa Flow, the bays near Houton and Waulkmill, the low rocks off the Churchill Barriers, the sandy edges of Sanday and Stronsay, and the west coast of Rousay. Grey seals also gather in numbers around the cliffs of Hoy and the north coast near Birsay.

Use low tide: skerries and sandbars are exposed, giving seals somewhere to lie up.
Scan slowly: a grey seal on wet rock is almost invisible until it lifts its head.
Look for "bottling": a head and shoulders resting vertically on the surface, often just offshore.
Keep your distance: aim for at least 100 metres, and never come between a pup and the water.
Watch the water, not just the rocks: seals often follow a shoreline at a discreet distance.

Otters: The Shyest Resident

Orkney's otters are coastal animals, hunting in kelp beds and among rocks rather than in fresh water. They are active at various times, but the odds shorten dramatically at first light and again in the last two hours of daylight. Low tide is your friend: as the water pulls back, the otters work the exposed kelp and shallow channels, often bringing a butterfish or a wrasse ashore to eat.

Learn to read the signs. Listen for a sharp, explosive whistle. Look for spraints – small, dark, fishy-smelling droppings left on flat rocks and grassy runs – which mark territory and tell you an otter passes regularly. A trail of flattened grass or a slide down a bank usually leads to a holt or a resting place.

Dawn and dusk beat the middle of the day, especially in summer.
Two hours either side of low tide is the classic window.
Wind matters: keep it in your face so your scent does not carry along the shore.
Freeze, don't follow: if an otter is heading your way, stand still and let it come.
Never block a route to the sea – an otter will abandon its catch rather than be cut off.

Fieldcraft That Makes the Difference

Binoculars of 8x42 or 10x42 are ideal: bright enough for grey mornings, light enough to carry all day. A spotting scope helps for distant haul-outs, but it is useless without a steady tripod. Polarised sunglasses cut surface glare and can reveal an otter's dark back beneath the water.

Wear dull colours and move in slow, deliberate stages, using rocks, walls and seaweed-covered boulders as cover. Sit down. A seated human against a rock reads as part of the landscape; a standing figure on a skyline does not. Keep voices low, and put dogs on a short lead near any shoreline. The Scottish Marine Wildlife Watching Code is worth reading before you set out – it is practical, not preachy, and it genuinely improves your sightings.

Working With Tides, Weather and Season

Pick up a local tide table the day you arrive, or ask at your guest house – most keep one pinned up by the door. Spring tides expose more shore and often produce the most active otter watching; neap tides leave less room. Wind direction changes everything: a flat calm evening after a breezy day is often superb, while a strong onshore gale pushes animals offshore and makes scanning miserable.

May to August gives you enormous daylight, including the long northern dusk that suits otters perfectly. October and November offer grey seal pupping, best watched quietly from clifftops. Even in winter, a bright, cold morning after a storm can be spectacular – just dress for it.

Back at the Guest House

Shoreline watching is wet, salty work, so plan the return. A drying room, a flask of something hot and a packed breakfast for those dawn starts turn a good trip into an easy one. Mention what you saw to your hosts; Orkney guest house owners usually know exactly which bay is producing sightings that week, and a shared sightings book is often the most useful wildlife guide you will find.

Above all, give it time. Seals and otters cannot be booked. Sit quietly, watch the water, and let Orkney's shore come to you.

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5 Comments

Robert Sonny says Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am

I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
Reply
- John Abraham says Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am
  
  I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
  Reply
  - Robert Sonnysays Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am
    
    I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
    Reply
Robert Sonny says Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am

I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
Reply

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